MINNEAPOLIS  Marquette's journey to New Orleans and the Final Four had its most memorable step in the shockingly simple 83-69 victory Saturday afternoon against the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats. But a significant part of that long road included an unexpected detour in New Orleans?

Marquette's Dwyane Wade drives to the basket in front of Kentucky's Chuck Hayes.

By Charlie Neibergall, AP

More than 2 1/2 months ago, when Marquette was four games into its Conference USA schedule, the team played at Tulane. After a practice, the Golden Eagles were on the bus back to the hotel. Or so they thought.

Tom Crean, their coach, had arranged for a stop.

"We were surprised," said Dwyane Wade, whose 29-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist, four-block day became a Saturday showcase. "We thought we were going back to the hotel. We were done practicing. They made a turn, and we said, 'Where are we going?' "

They would soon have their answer. The Golden Eagles were taken to the very Superdome where they will meet Kansas this Saturday for the chance to play in the national championship game April 7. In mid-January, a brief tour helped the Marquette players confront their dream.

"It was unreal," Wade said. "The coach took us in there, and the people walked us around and told us where the court was going to be, and where our bench was going to be. It was just great."

That day, they made their appointment. "We made our mark," Wade said.

There would be more detours along the way; the emotional, narrow home loss to Louisville and the surprising quarterfinal loss to Alabama-Birmingham in the Conference USA tournament. But throughout the season, Marquette's goal had been made clear.

For all the achievements in the history of the program — before, during and after the reign of Al McGuire as coach — Marquette never had defeated a No. 1-ranked team. But from the start, against a Kentucky team that had won 26 consecutive games, the Golden Eagles played with a sense of purpose and fearlessness. (Related item: Game report)

They dominated a team that was not the same after the ankle sprain suffered by senior Keith Bogans in Thursday's Midwest semifinal victory against Wisconsin. The Golden Eagles made 56.4% of their shots, including 14 of 21 in the second half. They used the inside presence of senior center Robert Jackson, who scored 24 points with 15 rebounds, to create chances on the outside.

Freshman Steve Novak scored 16 points, including 5-for-8 three-point shooting, in 27 minutes off the bench. The Golden Eagles led by 21 points with 37 seconds to go in the first half, outscored Kentucky 35-12 in the final 12:02 and never had the lead slip below 12 in the second half. They were never in danger of having their appointment canceled.

"Our players had an incredible sense of urgency," Crean said.

Marquette will return to the Final Four for the first time since the 1977 championship in coach Al McGuire's final game. A generation of players not yet born the night McGuire wept will return to a Dome they've already seen.

"We all believed we were going to be there," Wade said. "And now we will. Now we'll see how it really feels to be in the Dome."